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Murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña

SOLVED1993T.C. Jester Park, Houston, Texas3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Elizabeth Pena (left) and Jennifer Ertman (right), both victims
Elizabeth Pena (left) and Jennifer Ertman (right), both victims — Credit: editorial-use

On the night of June 24, 1993, Jennifer Lee Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Christine Peña, 16, close friends from Houston, Texas, who both attended Waltrip High School, left a pool party at the Spring Hill Apartments to meet an 11:30 p.m. curfew. To save time, they took a shortcut along White Oak Bayou through T.C. Jester Park toward Peña's home in the Oak Forest neighborhood.

While walking along the bayou, the girls encountered six gang members who had just finished the initiation ceremony of 17-year-old Raul Villarreal, who had been beaten by fellow members as part of his acceptance into the gang. As the girls passed, gang member José Medellín groped Peña; when she pushed his hand away, he grabbed her and threw her to the ground. Ertman ran to help her friend and was also thrown down, by gang members Peter Cantu and Derrick Sean O'Brien. Five of the gang members sexually assaulted both girls over an extended period.

Fearing the girls could identify them, gang leader Peter Cantu ordered the group to kill them. O'Brien and Villarreal strangled Ertman. Peña attempted to flee but was caught, beaten, and strangled by Cantu, José Medellín, and Efrain Pérez. A watch taken from Ertman's body was given to Venancio Medellín, José Medellín's younger brother, who had been told to stay behind because he was "too little to watch."

The girls' bodies were found in the park four days later and identified through dental records; the medical examiner determined the cause of death was strangulation. All those believed responsible were arrested, and José Medellín gave written and taped confessions.

Peter Cantu, José Medellín, Derrick O'Brien, Efrain Pérez, and Raul Villarreal were sentenced to death. Venancio Medellín, a juvenile who testified against the others, received a 40-year sentence for sexual assault. Following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2005 ruling in Roper v. Simmons banning execution of offenders who were minors at the time of their crimes, the death sentences of Pérez and Villarreal, who were 17 at the time of the murders, were commuted to life in prison.

Derrick O'Brien was executed on July 11, 2006. José Medellín's case became an international controversy after he argued Texas had failed to inform him of his right, as a Mexican citizen, to consular assistance under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The International Court of Justice and President George W. Bush sought a stay and hearing, opposed by Texas officials including Solicitor General Ted Cruz and Governor Rick Perry; the U.S. Supreme Court ruled only Congress could order such hearings. Medellín was executed on August 5, 2008. Peter Cantu was executed on August 17, 2010.

The victims' parents successfully advocated for a Texas law permitting victims' families to witness executions. Randy Ertman, Jennifer's father, died in 2014. Venancio Medellín has repeatedly been denied parole and is scheduled for release in 2034.

Key facts

Victims
Jennifer Lee Ertman, Elizabeth Christine Peña
Date
1993
Location
T.C. Jester Park, Houston, Texas
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1977-06-21

    Elizabeth Christine Peña is born.

  2. 1978-08-15

    Jennifer Lee Ertman is born.

  3. 1993-01-04

    27-year-old Patricia Lopez is murdered; Cantu, O'Brien, and José Medellín were later implicated though never charged.

  4. 1993-06-24

    Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña are abducted, raped, and murdered near White Oak Bayou in T.C. Jester Park, Houston.

  5. 1993-06-28

    The girls' bodies are discovered in the park, four days after the murders.

  6. 1998

    José Medellín petitions the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals regarding lack of consular notification; the appeal fails.

  7. 2004

    The International Court of Justice orders hearings for Medellín and other inmates denied consular rights, following a lawsuit by Mexico against the United States.

  8. 2005

    President George W. Bush orders hearings to be held; Texas, represented by Solicitor General Ted Cruz, challenges the order, and the U.S. Supreme Court rules only Congress can order such hearings; the Supreme Court also decides Roper v. Simmons, banning execution of juvenile offenders.

  9. 2006-07-11

    Derrick Sean O'Brien is executed by lethal injection.

  10. 2008-08-05

    José Medellín is executed at 9:57 p.m. after the Supreme Court rejects his last-minute appeals.

  11. 2010-08-17

    Peter Anthony Cantu is executed by lethal injection at 6:09 p.m., pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m.

  12. 2014-08-18

    Randy Ertman, Jennifer Ertman's father, dies of lung cancer.

  13. 2020

    The Texas parole board denies parole to Venancio Medellín, most recently as of this date.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Derrick Sean O'Brien

    CONVICTED

    Convicted and sentenced to death; executed July 11, 2006.

  • Peter Anthony Cantu

    CONVICTED

    Gang leader; convicted and sentenced to death; executed August 17, 2010.

  • Jennifer Lee Ertman

    VICTIM

    14-year-old victim, raped and murdered on June 24, 1993.

  • Elizabeth Christine Peña

    VICTIM

    16-year-old victim, raped and murdered on June 24, 1993.

  • Raul Omar Villarreal

    CONVICTED

    Convicted and sentenced to death; sentence later commuted to life in prison following Roper v. Simmons; parole eligibility September 20, 2029.

  • Venancio Medellín

    CONVICTED

    Juvenile gang member convicted of sexual assault of Jennifer Ertman; received 40-year sentence; testified against other co-defendants; parole repeatedly denied; scheduled release in 2034.

  • Efrain Pérez

    CONVICTED

    Convicted and sentenced to death; sentence later commuted to life in prison following Roper v. Simmons; parole eligibility October 10, 2029.

  • José Ernesto Medellín

    CONVICTED

    Convicted and sentenced to death; executed August 5, 2008, after unsuccessful appeals over consular-notification rights.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Elizabeth Pena (left) and Jennifer Ertman (right), both victims

    portrait victim

    Elizabeth Pena (left) and Jennifer Ertman (right), both victims

    Credit: editorial-use · Source

  • EllisUnitTX

    archival location

    EllisUnitTX

    Credit: Timo Ala-Rami from Nummela, Finland · CC BY 2.0 · Source

  • HuntsvilleUnitHuntsvilleTX

    archival location

    HuntsvilleUnitHuntsvilleTX

    Credit: Nick DiFonzo from Houston, Texas · CC BY 2.0 · Source

  • Murder of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña

    archival location

    Murder of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña

    Credit: Pepper Hastings · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

  • PolunskyUnitWestLivingstonTX

    archival location

    PolunskyUnitWestLivingstonTX

    Credit: Texas Department of Criminal JusticePublic information released under the Texas Public Information ActReleased by Attorney Yolanda M. Torres[1] · Public domain · Source

Places

T.C. Jester Park, Houston, Texas

29.8161, -95.4358

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On June 24, 1993, 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Peña were abducted, gang-raped, and strangled to death by members of a gang in a Houston park after taking a shortcut home. Five men were convicted of the murders and sentenced to death; a sixth received a 40-year sentence for sexual assault. The case led to a new Texas law and an international legal dispute over consular rights.
Where did the murders happen?
T.C. Jester Park, Houston, Texas.
Who was convicted?
Derrick Sean O'Brien (Convicted and sentenced to death; executed July 11, 2006.), Peter Anthony Cantu (Gang leader; convicted and sentenced to death; executed August 17, 2010.), Raul Omar Villarreal (Convicted and sentenced to death; sentence later commuted to life in prison following Roper v. Simmons; parole eligibility September 20, 2029.), Venancio Medellín (Juvenile gang member convicted of sexual assault of Jennifer Ertman; received 40-year sentence; testified against other co-defendants; parole repeatedly denied; scheduled release in 2034.), Efrain Pérez (Convicted and sentenced to death; sentence later commuted to life in prison following Roper v. Simmons; parole eligibility October 10, 2029.), and José Ernesto Medellín (Convicted and sentenced to death; executed August 5, 2008, after unsuccessful appeals over consular-notification rights.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
More cases in Texas

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth PeñaWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The New York TimesThe New York Times · 2026-07-10
  3. OFFICIAL / AGENCYContemporaneous coverage — inmate.tdcj.texas.govinmate.tdcj.texas.gov · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026
Last verified against sources
JUL 13, 2026

  1. JUL 13, 2026Correction

    Catalog QA: Set the murders, not a later execution, as onset.

  2. JUL 13, 2026Correction

    Catalog QA: consolidated duplicate /cases/murders-of-jennifer-ertman-and-elizabeth-pena-2006 into this canonical dossier.